History of Longanisa

The origins of longanisa goes back to Spain. In Spain, longaniza is a fresh pork sausage flavored with cinnamon, paprika, aniseed, vinegar and garlic. Unlike Spanish chorizo, which is typically cured and smoked, longaniza must be cooked before eating.

The spread of longanisa into various cultural cuisines came with the spread of the Spanish empire when it was at its peak. After centuries of delighting the palettes of folks all over the globe, countries like Mexico, Puerto Rico, Chile, El Salvador, and Uruguay now each have their own interpretations of the sausage. And since the Philippines was an integral stop in the Spanish trading network, longanisa found its footing in Filipino cuisine as well.

In the Philippines, there are two types of longanisa: hamonado (sweet) and recado (spicy). In this recipe, we used the longanisa hamonado.

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